Corn-planter.



W. H. GRABE &; J. BRANT.

001m PLANTER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 1909.

978,735, Patented Dec.13,1910.'-

ylwntozs Witness W a, m 4 21/ JM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. GRABE AND JAMES BRANT, 013 FORT GAGE, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed August 6, 1909. Serial No. 511,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WVILLIAM H. GIiABE and JAMES BRANT, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Fort Gage, in the county of Randolph andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorn-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in corn planters.

The objects of our invention are to provide corn planter attachingdevices for dropping corn, and accurately marking and checking the rowswithout the use of a check row wire, making the rows even and enablingthe operator to plant close to fences and in the turning points or endsof the rows.

A further object is to provide a practical and economical dropper andcheck row corn planter attachment, adaptable to the ordinary two wheeledplanters having seed boxes or hoppers provided with any of the usualmeans for regulating the discharge of seeds.

With these objects in view, an exact description of our invention isgiven so that those skilled in the art to which it appertains may makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, whichform a part of these specifications, and wherein like figures refer tocorresponding parts, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan of an entireplanter, with our invention attached. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view,in detail, of the marker and Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of theoperating mechanism.

Any of the forms of two wheeled corn planters can be used with ourinvention which consists of seed hoppers, 11, suitably mounted on theframe work and secured by convenient bolts and nuts, and provided withthe usual seed regulating and discharging devices in common use, towhich our dropper mechanism may be conveniently attached.

2 is a sprocket wheel, approximately cen trally mounted on the axle ofthe transporting wheels of the planter, transmitting motion by means ofa linked chain 3 to a second sprocket wheel 4, which is firmly mountedon a driving shaft, 5; this shaft 5 is loosely mounted in front of andparallel with the axle journaled in convenient boxings on the planterframe.

Rigidly mounted on shaft 5, near one end, is a wheel, 6, which isprovided near its rim with a lateral trip pin, 7, secured in position byany convenient means, and adapted to intermittently engage an arm 8, ofthe operating mechanism, as hereinafter detailed.

8 is a trip or actuating arm of the dropper, curved at its free endwhere it comes in con tact with trip pin 7, and pivoted to an elbow, 8to one end of a supporting rod 9, which may be suitably bolted at itsother end to the planter frame in substantially a vertical position. Arm8 at its other end is pivotally connected with a second member, 10, ofthe operating shaft, which is likewise similarly pivoted to a thirdmember, 11, and this third member 11 is journaled on rocking shaft 12 atpoint 11.

12 is a rocking shaft, extending horizontally across the frame of theplanter so positioned that the ends extend under the bottoms of the seedhoppers, 1l, where arm 11 of the dropper mechanism is suitably attached,actuating the seed dropping devices in the bottom of the hoppers 11.

17 is a wheel provided with a flanged, lateral rim, and is rigidlyjournaled on the end of driving shaft 5. The flanged lateral rim ofwheel 17 is provided with an in dentation or open slot, 18, adapted tointermittently receive and engage the lever 20, of the marker and checkrow attachment actuated by driving shaft 5.

20 is a lever, provided at one end with a curved portion, 19, adapted toperiodically engage the open slot 18 011 the rim of wheel 17, thusactuating the lever at definite intervals in the rotation of the wheel,thereby imparting motion to the marking attachment hereinafter referredto. Lever 20 is pivotally mounted at, 21, on a vertical fulcrum bar, 22,which is suitably secured at its opposite end to a beam, 23,conveniently provided on the frame. The opposite end of lever 20, fromits curved portion, is pivotally connected as at 24, with a verticallyextending marking rod 25, of suitable length to extend sufficiently intothe soil for marking and checking purposes, when in use. .he lever 20,is connected with the extension beam 23, between the fulcrum bar 22 andthe marking shaft 25, by a coil spring, and the shaft 25 is insertedvertically through a like coil spring, 26, for the purposes hereinaftermentioned.

Having described in detail the construction of the various parts of ourinvention, the operation is as follows ;As the wheeled vehicle is set inmotion, the axle on which sprocket wheel is rigidly journaled, impartsmotion to sprocket wheel 4, by means of chain 3, which in turn. actuatesthe driving shaft 5, on which is mounted wheel (3 provided with the trippin '4", and as wheel (3 revolves the pin 7 strikes the arm 8 of thedropper, this arm ii'nmediately moves on its pivoted elbow S,transmitting motion to the pivotally cooperating arms 10 and 11, of thedropper mechanism, and as arm 11 is journaled on oscillating shaft 12 itimpai s motion to this shaft, thereby driving the seed retaining andreleasing devices in the hoppers, ll, causing the seed to be discharged,in the ordinary manner. As wheel 6 revolves, trip pin 7 disengages arm8, and this member returns to its primary position by gra'n'ty action ofthe various arms of the dropper and awaits the rotation of wheel (5,with pin 7, when the same movements are repeated, and continue while themachine is in motion.

The marker and check row device operates in the following manner ;as theaxle revolves the sprocket wheel 52 mounted there on transmits motion tothe connecting chain 3 and sprocket wheel 4t on driving shaft 5, therebywheel 17 mounted on the end of driving shajl is revolved, and the curvedend portion 19, of the lever 20, engages the open slot 18 in said wheel17, as the same turns with the driving shaft 5, and the curved portiondrops into the slot, thereupon the coil spring 26, attached to lever 20,pulls the lever donmward, ano operating on fulcrum liar at the pivotalpoint 21, the marking shaft brought in contact with the soil, suitablymarking the rows and hills for the planting of corn that is to follow.As wheel 17 continues to revolve, the curved end portion 19 of the leverQthis expelled from the slot 18 in the wheel. as it strikes the full rimthereof. and at the same time the 7 ing marking snaft forces lever 20upward into its original position, disengaging periodically the markingshaft from the soil, in which position itremains until anotherrevolution of wheel 17. when the curved portion 19 of the lever 20 againengages slot 19 in the rim of wheel 17, and the operation as detailed isrepeated, and this movement is kept up during the use of the planter.

4/ is a clutch wheel. abutting sprocket wheel 4;. and is adapted. tothrow the mechanism in or out of operative position in the ordinary andusual manner.

Having described our invention and its operation, what we claim anddesire to se cure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the characterdescribed,

resiliency of coil spring 2?, surrounda drop, er and marker devicecoi'isisting of a revoluble shaft and means for transn'iitting motiontnereto from the axle of a corn planter; a wheel. rigidly mounted onsaid revoluble shaft and provided with a lateral tri) pin and adapted totransmit intermittent motion to the trip arm. of the dropper mechanism;a dropper mechanism having a trip arm and coacting members pivotallyconnected and attached to the seed retaining and discharging device ofthe hoppers; a wheel mounted on said revoluble shaft prodded with anopen slot lateral to the rim thereof and adapted to intermittently enacurved lever pivotally attached to the marker; a curved lever fnlcrumcdon the frame of a planter, one end thereof pivotally attached to themarking shaft, the other end curved, and at its curvature adapted tointermittently engage the slot in the lateral rim of the wheel on theend of the revoluble shaft; a marking shaft pivotally attached to thesaid curved lever and actuated thereby; means for retaining said curvedlever and marker in operative position, and for throw ing the mechanismin and out of gear, all substantially as set forth.

In a device of the character described, a rcvoluble shaft adapted to bemounted on a planter frame in parallel relation to the axle and meansfor transmitting motion from the axle to the said revoluble shaft;hoppers mounted on the front end of the said frame opposite each other;a wheel rigidly mounted on said revolulole shaft and pr vided with alateral trip pin of the hopper mechanism; a dropper mechanism consistingof the engaging trip arm pivot ally connected to the coacting membersattached to the seed releasing and retaining device of the hopper; asecond wheel rigidly mounted on the end of the said revoluble shaft andhaving an open slot lateral to the rim thereof and adapted tointermittently engage the curved lever pivotally attached to thevertical marking shaft; a curved lever, fulcrumed on the planter frame,and adapted to intermittently engage the slot in the lateral rim of thewheel on the end of the revolublc shaft; a vertically movable markingshaft pivotally attached to the said curved lever and actua ed thereby;a resilicnt spring surrounding said marking shaft, and a like springattached to the curved lever, and means for o 'icrating the same, allsul'istantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signa tures in presence of twowitnesses.

lVILLLtM H. GRABE.

his JAMES BRANT.

mark \Vitnesses J. H. Racsnann, R. N. Garnwoon.

